Planning for a Healthier Food Environment
Create healthier, more sustainable communities by exploring how urban planning shapes food access and public health outcomes.
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
2 hours100% online
How it works
Planning for a Healthier Food Environment
Shape healthier communities through urban planning and food policy
Food access is critical in determining people’s health and well-being. Understanding its influence is essential for addressing inequities and promoting healthier communities.
Join the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, within the Department of Health and Social Care, on this flexible four-week course, and discover how urban planning and public health intersect to create healthier communities.
With practical applications and illustrative insights, this course will help you achieve strategic public health priorities while supporting sustainable economies.
Promote healthy weight environments
Begin by exploring the key drivers of a healthy weight environment – defining food environments and discussing food access’s role in shaping dietary choices.
You’ll examine the evolution of public health planning, reviewing historical approaches and gaining insight into modern policies that support healthier lifestyles.
Understand planning systems and health policy frameworks
Next, dive into key policy powers and levers that local authorities use to consider health and well-being through the planning process.
You’ll explore the National Planning Policy Framework, local and strategic plans, and how Health Impact Assessments and Supplementary Planning Documents can support healthier communities and a healthier weight environment.
Leverage strategies for improved urban health
The course concludes by showing how local authorities and organisations use planning policies and complementary non-planning approaches to address food environment challenges.
You’ll explore strategies like exclusion zones, hot food takeaway policies, and Joint Strategic Needs Assessments, and see how aligning these strategies supports healthier weight environments.
Syllabus
Week 1
Making the case for promoting a healthy food environment in relation to public health and understanding the history of planning in relation to public health
Introduction
Introduction to the course.
What is the food environment and how does it influence people’s food choice?
An introduction to the wider social and environmental factors that can shape our food choices and behaviours.
What is the prevalence of excess weight in England and how can it affect people’s health?
Data sources for monitoring child and adult weight at various geographies, and recent figures.
Is the prevalence of excess weight equal across society?
Tracking variations in excess weight across different population groups.
Understanding the history of planning in relation to public health
This activity will look at the history of planning in relation to public health and provide a rationale and evolution of how and why we are returning to using the planning system positively to influence health and wellbeing.
How can planning promote a healthier food environment to help prevent excess body weight?
An overview of the environmental influences of food choice and how the planning system can be utilised as part of a cross-cutting approach to help prevent excess body weight.
Week 1 Glossary
Week 1 Glossary
Quiz
A short quiz on your learning so far.
End of week summary
End of week summary
Week 2
Understanding the planning system and policy framework
Why should we plan for public health and wellbeing?
An overview of the case for using planning to improve health and introducing the planning system in England today.
Who makes local planning decisions?
An overview of how planning decisions are made and who makes them.
What is the National Planning Policy Framework and how does it incorporate health?
An overview of national planning policy and its relevance to health.
How can the National Planning Policy Framework be applied?
An overview of applying national planning policy to range of policy issues relevant to health.
What are strategic plans, and how is aligning them beneficial to planning?
An overview of strategic planning issues that require cooperation between key users of the planning system.
What are local plans and how do they incorporate health?
An overview of local plans for each local authority and their relevance to health.
What are Supplementary Planning Documents?
An overview of local planning guidance that support local plans.
What are Health Impact Assessments?
An overview of health impact assessments and their role in planning for health.
What are use classes? How are these relevant to healthier food environments?
An overview of how buildings and land are categorised under use classes.
When is planning permission required?
An overview of what applications require planning permission or not.
How does the appeals process work?
An overview of the process of appealing decisions made on planning applications.
End of week quiz
A few questions at the end of week 2 to test your knowledge.
End of week summary
End of week summary
Week 3
Using planning, and complementary non-planning, approaches to promote a healthier food environment
How does a concern for proliferation of less healthy food establishments relate to planning policy?
An overview of the reasons why addressing unhealthy outlets are relevant for planning.
What is the association between hot food takeaway proliferation, health and equalities?
An overview of the evidence linking takeaways and people’s health and wellbeing.
How are planning approaches used to promote a healthier food environment?
An overview of the main planning approaches used in planning to secure access to healthier food environments.
What are other approaches in planning to promote a healthier food environment?
An overview of other planning approaches used to promote access to healthier food environments.
How has planning guidance, documents and policy on hot food takeaways faired at appeal?
An overview of the outcomes from planning appeals and lessons to consider.
How and why is a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment important to planning a healthy weight environment?
An overview of how public health assessment of local needs can be useful to support planning decisions.
Why is aligning strategies beneficial to planning?
An overview of the importance of aligning public health strategies to planning approaches.
Complementary non-planning plans and strategies: where can guidance be found?
An overview of non-planning approaches that can be used by local authorities.
Local Practice Example: Essex – “TuckIN: Making Food Better”
A local example of a strategy for encouraging healthier out of home food provision
What are the key learnings from TuckIN?
What are the key learnings from TuckIN?
How can the support of elected members be ensured for these strategies?
An overview of the role that local politicians can have to support actions.
End of week quiz
A few questions at the end of week 3 to test your knowledge.
End of week summary
The end of week summary for week 3.
Week 4
Making the evidence work effectively in planning for a healthy weight environment
What are the challenges of integrating health with planning?
An overview of the challenges faced by practitioners in considering health in planning activities.
How can evidence be used effectively in planning and to support planning decisions?
An overview of the role and use of evidence in planning decisions.
How can data tools be used to create a robust evidence base required for planning?
An overview of the range of data tools and sources available to support planning.
Collating evidence on obesity prevalence and trends at national and local level for adults and children
An overview of the main health and obesity data sources available.
Applying a whole systems approach in planning and responding to future trends
An overview of what it means to take a whole systems approach to obesity.
Putting the data together to build the local evidence base
Putting the data together to build the local evidence base
Local Practice Example: The Gateshead Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document
An overview of the Gateshead example and their approach to using planning effectively.
What makes Gateshead Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document robust?
What makes Gateshead Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document robust?
What are the key learnings from the Gateshead Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document
What are the key learnings from the Gateshead Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document
End of week quiz
End of week quiz
Summary
Summary
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Demonstrate how to apply existing guidance and advice to use planning to promote a healthier weight environment
- Describe the planning process and different mechanisms available to local government to support the development and promotion of healthier food environments
- Explain the role of the planning system within a whole systems approach to obesity
- Reflect on the planning system and food environment from the perspective of other professionals (public health or planning practitioners)
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for urban planners, public health professionals, policymakers, and researchers interested in creating healthier food environments.
You’ll also find this course helpful if you’re working in local government, community health, or sustainability, and if you’re looking for a greater understanding of the role planning plays in shaping food access and public health outcomes.
Who will you learn with?
Who developed the course?
UK Health Security Agency
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats by providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Office for Health Improvement Disparities
As part of DHSC, OHID brings together expert advice, analysis and evidence with policy development and implementation to shape and drive health improvement and equalities priorities for government.
Fuse
Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, brings together six Universities in the North East and North Cumbria (Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Cumbria, Sunderland and Teesside) in a unique collaboration to deliver world-class research to improve health and wellbeing and tackle inequalities. Fuse is a founding member of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR).
Ways to learn | Buy this course | Subscribe & save | Join with limited access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $109/one-off payment | $244.99 for a whole year Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Try this course - with limits | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Limited to 4 weeks |
| Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Join with limited access
Free
Try this course - with limits
- Limited to 4 weeks
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 2 June 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 2 June 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
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